Research by British Airways has revealed the most popular seats on a standard
Boeing 747 aircraft.

The four pairs of seats: 51B/51C, 52B/52C, 51H/51J and 52 H/52J (see image below), are the most commonly chosen in economy class, the airline said. The seats, located at the very back of the aircraft, are the only ones on board that allow those travelling as a pair to occupy a row to themselves, and are subsequently favoured by couples.

Window seats are generally favoured over aisle ones, the research found, with six per cent more bookings.

It also revealed that fliers will slightly favour the right hand side of the aircraft over the left, with 54 per cent of passengers opting for that side.

In First Class, the most popular seats are those at the very front (1A and 1K, see image below), while in Club World (business class), the upper deck is favoured, with seats at the back of the section (62A, 62K, 64A, 64K, see second image below) chosen most frequently.

The choices may differ slightly for airlines that use different seating configurations.

“Most people like the idea of turning left when they get on a plane, but it looks like the majority favour the right hand side when it comes to choosing their seat,” said Sara Dunham, head of retail at British Airways.

“And we’ve all got into a discussion with our travelling companions about whether the aisle or the window is best. It would seem though that those who are firm fans of the view slightly outnumber those who like to get out of their seats easily.”

Similar research carried out last year by the flight comparison website Skyscanner also found that window seats were favoured. It also suggested passengers were more likely to choose seats at the front of the aircraft, possibly due to the ease of getting off the plane and the likelihood of being served food first, with 6A proving the most popular overall. The least popular choice was 31E – a middle seat towards the back of the aircraft.

Telegraph Travel recently investigated which aircraft seats are the safest in the event of a crash. We concluded that, while flying is very safe, and the odds of being killed on a single flight are just 1 in 4.7 million, you might help your chances slightly by sitting in economy class, towards the back, with your seat belt fastened, by the window, within a few rows of an emergency exit.